Hug Who?

This ain't your mama's pasta salad. Unless your mom has impeccable taste (like mine). This is a "cheater" recipe. A very good friend of mine (Lori) introduced me to this pasta salad a mere 12 years ago. This delectable pasta salad was being served at a small cafe called Hug Hess in Ogden, UT. I had not had it for at least 12 years, and it is so remarkable that when I was recently working in Ogden I had to hunt it down. I miraculously found the cafe, and the employees were so nice to let me sample the pasta salads they had because I didn't know the name of what I was looking for. Found it. Pasta Salad Supreme. And let me tell you; supreme, it is.

Now, this is another recipe that I do not really call a "recipe". It is a list of ingredients. Figure out the balance/ratio yourself. You can do it!

Cooked Chicken Breast - cubed. (They roast theirs, but I think I'll try grilled next time.)
Crumbled Blue Cheese (it's worth getting a good quality)
Cooked Bowtie Pasta
Cooked Spiral Pasta (they use the tri-color variety)
Raw Broccoli - mostly crowns, but some stalks are good, too.
Bacon - cooked so VERY crispy, otherwise it gets soggy and floppy. Ew.
Diced Tomatoes
Chopped White Onions
Carrots cut into discs
Kidney Beans - be sure to rinse them when using canned
Poppy Seed Dressing (recipe to follow)

Yep. Just mix it all in together, pretty much. It's really not rocket science. A good pointer: Add the dressing a little bit at a time. You don't want too much of a good thing. Also, if you have some left over (I would be amazed) store it in an airtight container - it should be good for a few days. It's also good to have some extra dressing as it gets absorbed over time.

Poppy Seed Dressing:

2 parts vegetable oil
1 part red wine vinegar
1 part granulated sugar
poppy seeds

Add ingredients into a food processor. Pulverize! Then enjoy.

...Now I'm hungry.